The King and the Knight's Dalliance
by Laharl The Overlord
Summary: Through the ages someone has been traveling through time, when all went lost, and in doing so, when everything fits into place, it seems a man lead astray attempts to make up for what he's done when given the chance. He doesn't struggle with falling in love, but with coming to terms, like with the King, that there is such a thing as a 'second chance'...


Author's Note: Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for following my account here on , but as of this one, I think I'm going to be done with it. I do have an Ao3 account called wanttoflyhigh where I have tons more of Phantasia and other Tales fanfictions, so if you want more content you can go there. My tumblr is also eclairermonte for those curious. Thanks for reading, once again friends!

A flower drops,

The beginning of a dream,

Water running like a river,

Transient as a soul.

The dream continues,

Time passing into non existence,

What is reality,

But what one thinks it is.

There is destruction,

There is sadness,

There is anarchy,

There is evil.

The sky is opening above,

As always in the same place,

With each bright day,

And yet can always begin a new.

There is resurrection,

There is happiness,

There is order,

There is good.

A flower begins to bloom,

The light from above showering in,

A new hope and dreams to overwhelm the evil,

Replacing love with hate.

...

 _Every rose has its thorn._

A man with dark blond hair stood in the pouring rain as he gazed upon what was once his village. All of it was destroyed, and he had been the only one who had survived. Although he certainly knew it had been the fault of no one, or at least he thought it had been the case, it did not make the situation less awful. It was like his soul had found itself displaced from his body in the end however, and he just decided to stare at the muddy remains. He allowed the rain drops to do the crying for him, because he had no words, no sounds, no thoughts, and no real emotion to express at this disaster.

The man had lost everything.

...

 _A man must be careful he not become the demon he kills._

A man with long blond hair just finished going through the coronation ceremony, however, even though he was not long for the parties that must be attended straight afterwards, he knew that he had gained everything. After all, following his father's untimely demise, he became the King of this land, and certainly had many he could now command more than he did before. He was approached very frequently not because of his station, however, but because of his beauty, which was said to astound many for various reasons. All in all, such things were still superficial reasons why someone would try and ally themselves with him.

But there is no reason to say why he would have nothing to gain from it.

...

 _Even in a desert of darkness and deception there is an oasis of light and hope._

The country was ridden with strife amongst those who were the most unfortunate and by the time a new king had taken the throne, people were already ready to stage a revolt. However, people were hesitant, because after all, the prince was purposely kept away from the public They don't know how he'd rule, and the nobles were anxious to see if they could get away with having another figurehead. Now it was as if things were silent in the talks that happened amongst those who lived here or there.

People were biding their time... waiting and watching.

...

 _There are those who wait in the shadows to control the many, and remain the few._

Suffice to say the new king was a revolutionary, and those of the corrupt nobility could see that. At first it was just brushed off as him being 'naive and too kind for his own good'. However, he began to chart reformation across the board in all of severity, and it became a troubling matter due to how many people would die for him or support him. So they had started to plot, liking very much where they rest upon a cushy place where no one could question their dark actions. Which could range from selling people behind doors or outright (yet covert) bribery, among other things of course.

Things had to change.

And so, as quick as possible, there were those who were paid to spread false rumors about the king. False rumors which certainly drowned out the good things he did to those who weren't wise enough or did not have as good as an education than others to tell if they were lied to. It was so ridiculous and outrageous, yet people allowed themselves to be lied to. They could only in the end truly be deceived if they allowed themselves to be.

People who were blinded to the truth, and could not think beyond the fact that they had recently lost everything or were about to. One of these persons in particular was a certain dirty blond haired man. He was convinced by someone like others in the small town he had migrated to that an 'attack' against the king himself would only restore the land to its proper glory.

On his way there, however, he stopped by a watch maker's store. In the store he found that there was a bunch of black watches here or there. Alongside the silver and gold ones that also littered the store was also one rose-gold pocket watch. The store owner, who had long green hair, looked up at him and asked politely, "Do you wish to make a purchase?"

The man simply thought it strange that a woman was running a watch making store, but found it not too questionable in the end. It didn't matter either way, because he soon had begun to fall down and then entered a state of unconsciousness or near one. He heard there was commotion, but rather it was due to multiple persons entering the store he believed rather than it being himself the cause of it.

Darkness, and in that shadow, a voice, "You have so much to live for. You cannot give up here. Find me and we shall meet again. My picture is in the locket I have given you."

Then complete and utter silence.

The man woke up to find that later on he was wearing his rags still, and apparently in a hospital ward of some type. There was a new pair of clothes put on the chair nearby him, along with his sword he had been given by some kind of noble and... some armor. He saw a note on top of the clothes and there was a doctor that came across him, noticing that he was awake. He was informed that some strange cloaked man along with a few others had personally carried him and paid for his admission.

The doctor picked up the piece of paper and asked if the man could read. There was a shake of the head and the doctor decided to read what was said on the note.

" _It is a pity we must part so soon. However, I have urgent business to attend to. You will soon receive an invitation to see me and then... all will be well this iteration._ "

The man looked up to his doctor and inquired as to whether the man gave his name, but was disappointed to find his benefactor had not. However, he had been given a bouquet of roses, as well.

...

 _All that is seen is not everything._

The king sits on his throne, and listens to the reports from his council, before giving a royal command after he digests everything. He is growing gradually irritated and impatient. His command is: "Kill them all, and do well to spare not one of those trying to incite chaos."

...

 _Pride comes before the fall._

When the short blond-haired man is released from the medical house, he finds that there are people talking on the streets and concerned, among the high class. Words spread of The Demon King who outright slaughters his own people if they should oppose him. And to him that is enough injustice that he's heard. He's decided he will bring the King down with his own hands, no matter what kind of action he had to take.

At the thought his mind turned to the suit of armor he had been given. He would put his unknown benefactor's kindness to good use. It should be easy to become a knight and to masquerade as one.

When the man made his trek he found that he had also been given monetary items and once again thanked mentally the one who saved his life. Now of course it was his turn and because of it he happened to reach the capital in record time.

He announced his intentions and found that he was let in within record time. Which actually surprised him considering his not even middle class standing, but that would suit him just fine... he supposed. The short-haired blond found that those within the knights stared at him and were understandably quiet when he was assorted into a bit of the new recruits. Luckily, he had been very adept at swordsmanship even if his own lot in life had not been exactly the greatest.

Although he admittedly grew suspicious that, when he went to rest in the usual housing for the knights, he was told that he was not to sleep with those 'rabble' and lead elsewhere. Then, he found that it was not only a room fit for one of those in the explicit Royal Guard, but it was rather extravagant not just in location or name. Its appearance made him think it was rather a bit too sizeable for himself, but he didn't want to seem rude and took it. Besides, this way he could get to The Demon King himself. Although he wonders who exactly he's managed to impress, as he prepares to get dressed for a quick rest. He hears a brief knock and before he can say anything, the door slams open.

The man gasps and quickly tries to cover himself up, face turning red as a tomato.

The head of the Knight's Royal Guard smirked as he looked down at the man on the floor in a ball of clothing, appearing amused, and says, "Cless Alvein, am I right? I'm merely here to introduce myself to you, so you know your Captain. You can refer to me as Sir Reisen. Oh, and try to be prepared for anything. I will not stand for anything less...toodles."

Cless barely got out a flustered 'yes sir' before sighing loudly in veiled frustration as he fixed his state of dress, before heading to finally get some more rest.

...

 _We are the change we wish to see in the world._

Cless wasn't exactly a man of stealth, and really, he could chalk up at least a bit of this circumstantial luck to it being just that. Even all the talent in the world or practice couldn't have landed him such a position so quickly in a week. In the end he supposed he really shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth- and he also figured that it was now or never to give the man proper due justice.

Good thing no one would question his presence as he neared the king's chambers, and the only thing he found suspicious was the lack of guards around said authority figure's room. He reaches for the door and opens it, slowly, as well as carefully. He makes sure to close it quietly behind him, and prepares to hide in the room or something... but the man was already within, wearing afternoon silk robes. Or whatever the heck he supposed Kings wore when they intended to not leave their chambers for a few hours.

The King turned to face him, and looked mildly surprised for a moment, before he gave the knight a rare smile. "I have been expecting you, and this time it is due time for us to have a proper reunion."

Cless felt a string of confusion course through him and a strange short pang in his chest, but he shook it off. It was time to act, and he just used this moment to draw closer to the taller man, replying, "... Well, alright. Do you have any regrets, my King?"

The King blinked as he watched the other man cut the distance between the both of them, not suspecting a single thing. "No. You're here, correct? Besides, there are many things I have been waiting to discuss with you."

Cless fell silent, and decided before he could hesitate, that this was the best chance to strike. In one quick flourish he had unsheathed his blade, and in the next, stabbed it through the right side of the King's chest. The blade pierced all the way through him and into the dresser behind him.

On top of that dresser is a rose wilting with eight faded petals.

The King's red eyes had widened and blood dribbled down his chin, as the liquid began to soak through the front of his wear. His body began to tremble slightly as he pulled the sword from his chest, and he shakily procured a key, reaching forward to unlock the locket that was being worn around Cless' neck. "If only...you had given myself more time... to speak. I would have told you that I...I was your benefactor... and that none of this was supposed to happen. I suppose it'd end up like this, however, someone... believing in their paltry lies. I can tell... that's why you struck me, isn't it?"

The false knight could not find any words and only reached out to catch the other man when he slipped backwards, gently kneeling him on the floor. Furthermore, he found that the King's hand lightly caressed his cheek and suddenly Cless felt more than just 'stupid' or 'foolish'. He could not speak, except a few, stuttering apologies. What good would they do now?

The King held up a black pocket watch and slid it into the knight's hands as people began to file into the room. "You must leave."

Then all was silent.

...

 _Do you believe in love at first sight?_

 _The first time the King meets the knight, the regal man is twenty and already jaded by the way his siblings are as well as the rest of the nobility. He cannot stand the way they act and does not see any promise in him, until he finds that he's overhearing discussion of the Captain of the Royal Guard planning on getting the new recruit into trouble. Laughter ensuing, the King himself decides to acquaint himself with another who is undoubtedly out of his element. The other who is probably lonely._

 _He meets Cless in the knight's quarters, and he finds that he's finished putting on the armor. He smiles at the King and greets him. For some reason, the King finds himself staring at that smile and asks quietly, "If I asked you to not refer to myself as 'Your Highness' but perhaps just King Dhaos, would you? It is as if people are truly afraid to say my name."_

 _Cless had grinned at him and asked, "If I called you just Dhaos, then, would that get me into trouble?"_

 _Dhaos had raised an eyebrow and said, "Perhaps. Would you still persist in doing so, now that I've said that?"_

 _Cless had shrugged. "I would and I guess I could always claim ignorance... people don't seem to have a high enough of an opinion of my intelligence, anyways."_

 _The King remembers observing Cless for any tells of intentional disrespect, but could not find any, yet. He decides he will test this knight and replied, "Then I shall allow it. It would be interesting to see how the others react."_

 _Following that the King found himself when he had free time to meet with the other in his own garden, or somewhere discreetly, if they weren't already in a position to discuss in public. He found himself comforted by the other man's presence more so than ever his few trusted associates. Even if the man baffled him by his cheerful, naive, and straight-forward personality, it was likely a welcome change to the rest._

 _But he wasn't the only one who was charmed. Cless also found himself thinking more and more of his King being more than just a king in his eyes. It began to bother him for a multitude of reasons, and the way he himself spoke so freely. It made him worry that evidence of his own feelings that had changed like the seasons would seep into his interactions with him._

 _Both were concerned, and then a gesture. A rose neatly tucked in one's hair. Hands intertwining with another's._

 _A kiss._

 _The King confessed to the Knight in the dark, everything, and then more. His next words, "I wish to revolutionize this world. Will you assist me?"_

 _Cless had smiled sheepishly, yet so easily at those words, even with knowing how difficult they were, and replied, "Uh, sure. But only after you let me braid your hair."_

 _A pause. "...Your sense of humor is strange. You oft-"_

 _The blond haired swordsman had interrupted, "No, I'm actually serious."_

" _..."_

 _..._

Cless opened his eyes to find himself in Dhaos' room and that there was still a rose on top of the dresser, although looking more lively than ever. He turned his head and there was a younger blond haired male, who was holding a blanket up to cover himself, even if he wore night robes. His hair had not quite grown as magnificently long as it was when he became older, and yet Cless was easily able to recognize him as Dhaos. He would have been foolish to have been unable to.

The male was staring at him expectantly, eyebrows furrowed and when no coherent excuse or thought could be formed into words, Dhaos asked cautiously, "...Who are you? Have you come to assassinate me?"

Dhaos' eyes looked fixated on the blade Cless still had drawn and well there was still blood upon it. He could also presume there was some sort of anxiety in those red eyes-and then Cless realized he still hadn't said anything. He quickly sheathed his blade and said, "T-this isn't what it looks like!"

The younger blond's gaze became skeptical as he inquired, arching an eyebrow, only relaxing slightly, "Then, pray tell, what does it look like besides that you murdered someone and were thinking of doing the same to one such as I?"

Cless than thought up something and said, "Because I... I spilled cranberry sauce on my blade?"

"..."

The blond-haired knight decided it was probably indicative that he was bad at lying under such pressure and sighed to himself. Dhaos then said, "Obviously you are a terrible liar, but I can see you're not out to kill me. It is in your eyes. Besides...I watched you appear out of practically thin air, which is strange in of itself. So tell me the truth, why are you here?"

Cless sighed to himself before making a plop on the ground beneath him. He dared not to escape from a room when he could see it was well into the night; he may get caught by the other guards. He doesn't really know how to explain it to him, and then he supposes this made up for him jumping the gun earlier. His brown eyes flicker up to look into curious red ones.

The knight opened the locket to show a picture of...the late Dhaos he knew, and the resemblance was stunning.

Dhaos, on the other hand, seemed more perturbed and curious than anything else. The knight was surprised the other blond wasn't afraid. Then again, even in his last moments it seemed not an ounce of fear exuded him - or perhaps he had kept that well hidden. Cless thinks a bit hard about something and says, "I'm here to save you."

The younger royal male's eyebrows furrowed as skepticism flashed across his eyes, before his eyes land on the picture from the locket and he asked, lips settling into a smirk, "My knight in shining armor, hm? I am rather flattered at your offer, but can you really live up to it?"

Cless had nodded his head vigorously and quickly replied, "I can. I'm confident that I can. It's the least thing I can do... after everything that's happened."

The royal blond tilted his head, curiosity taking place in those eyes of his once again. Then, he made his decision: he will test this man. "If you are supposedly aiming to do this, and it's not some trick, then...prepare for me to test you. In my eyes, you are but a knave-"

Cless muttered, "Look who's talking."

A sudden, heavy and tense silence came over the both of them. The knight supposed he was too used to running his mouth, and cleared his throat when he noticed he was being given a glare. "It was a joke. Come on... nevermind you're not laughing, continue, continue..."

...

 _The reality is what you think._

 _Cless often played outside when he was younger, occupying his time with his friends Chester and Ami from the same town as he. In this instance, it was after they were playing swordfighting (and as much as Chester insisted on a bow Cless complained it'd be cheating) and they were all looking up from the grass they lied upon._

 _They talked about what they were going to be in the future, and at that moment, after Cless mentioned being a knight, he felt as if someone had been watching him. He remembered turning his head and seeing someone in the distance. Then, it was as if the moment had him become able to enclose upon that someone and see it was a certain blond-haired man._

Cless woke up with a gasp and found that Dhaos was standing over him, staring him down. He wondered why the heck did he look mad when he noticed that instead of bringing those sacks to the knight's quarters he had fallen asleep in them. It was test number three or something, but - he just sheepishly smiles at the future king. "...Whoops?"

Dhaos folded his arms and asked tersely, "Do you know why it is I am irate with you?"

The knight pretended to be as in thought and asked, "Is that a rhetorical question?"

The blond haired prince reached over with his hand in the next moment, surprising the older blond. So much was it that he stared at the hand wondering if it was in fact really happening or if it happened to be just fantasy. Seeing Dhaos manage to frown even more convinced him it was the latter and he should probably take it, which he did. "I cannot tell if you were wisecracking or not, however, I am sure it's not for the reason you think. Another part of the test is to know your limits and if you're not getting any rest-"

Cless in the next moment made sure to give him a hug. "Hey, so you were worried about me! I guess this means we're friends now, right?"

"..."

Dhaos blinked a few times, and found himself standing there in complete silence because this. He could not recall experiencing it all too often himself, and so on this occasion that it did he actually wanted it to linger. It stirred an unfamiliar warmth within him as well, and he soon wanted to forget about the world around him. Only, of course, to be brought back to reality when he's being gripped by his shoulders and shaken a little. "..."

"Dhaos, what's wrong? Can you hear me?"

The royal nodded and pulled away forcibly, feeling his cheeks warming. "I became lost in thought, that's all. Hm."

Cless smiled slightly at him and this caused the other blond to wonder... why it is the smile seemed so familiar? And his mind wondered, at where did Cless get that picture.

Either way, he hears the strange knight begin to pick up the sacks and say, "Well, I better get going. Now that I'm officially a knight, I can't be late for the-"

The prince interrupted, "After you're done, meet with me. Reisen will need to just deal with it, hm?"

"But-"

"-It's a royal decree."

There was a silence between them, while Dhaos was looking intently at the man, as if waiting for him to give a better reason to object to that. Instead, he only had heard laughter from the darker haired blond and the words, "Now I have a good excuse. I'll see you around soon, then?"

The prince said quietly, "...Yes, you shall."

Then, he watched as the other walked off, and his hands rose to hold his own arms, as if trying to mimic the feel he had when Cless had his own around them. It really wasn't the same after all, it seems, and at the thought, the prince felt a strange sinking feeling in his heart. The sinking of unknowingly falling into love.

...

The gardens were always a place Dhaos himself found easily able to go out into when he wanted to have some alone time. He was just waiting for the other to arrive now, and figured it shouldn't be too long. Or at least that's what he thought...and now wound up spending until near until late time in there. He felt a sinking feeling of a different sort and began to anxiously wonder if he had offended him.

...Why should he care? He didn't care about what people thought or felt towards him now, or tried not to, due to people trying to demean him because of his age or subtle jabs at his appearance. He sighed to himself, shaking the feeling, and hearing the sound of someone approaching.

It was a certain knight.

However, it was not the one who he expected. Green hair, maroon-colored eyes and a severe expression greeted him instead of blond hair, chestnut colored eyes and a kind, yet naive expression. Dhaos felt disappointed and frowned, inquiring, "Where is the new knight that has entered into your ranks? He's late."

The Captain crossed his arms and said, "He had other urgent business to attend to, sire. I assure you, it is by no fault of his own. Although he seemed to express being reluctant to meet with you, even if he told me that he had been ordered to."

Dhaos felt even more disappointed. If Reisen wasn't lying to him... then had he once again unknowingly pushed away someone else? Even so, he began to feel irritated. He never liked this man and his presence he now decided was a nuisance as he snapped, "Show yourself away from me. Now."

The knight bowed and the prince turned away, trying to chase away the unknown hurt, and heedless of the hand that strayed to the knight's sword straight after.

Approaching foot steps however averted a tragedy and made the captain's hand fall by the wayside as he uttered a quiet 'tch' underneath his breath. It was the other knight in question, huffing and puffing, as well as red in the face from exertion. Reisen quickly made his exit.

Cless grinned sheepishly and said, "Sorry about that! The Captain's a real slave driver. I hope I didn't make you wait too long..."

Dhaos crossed his arms and refused to say anything for a few tense moments. Then, the royal asked, "Isn't there something else you should be telling me?"

A rose petal falls.

The blond haired knight thought about it... maybe there were a few things he supposed. But he didn't know how to explain them without coming off as extremely crazy, among other things. So he just asked, "Like...what exactly?"

The longer haired blond turned around to give him a cold glare, asking, "As in how you do not want to truly bother with my presence? That, you had simply staged this all as nothing but some kind of convenient farce. Tell me I am wrong and I was told a lie, because I would prefer that instead of what the Knight's captain told me."

Cless' easy expression turned to be a bit disheartened as he examined the younger man in front of him, who seemed to look more withered than just simply angry as the moments passed. He noticed the blond shivered a bit too, although it was something only a trained eye could see. Either way, the swordsman sighed and said, "I don't know what he's told you, but if he said that I didn't want to see you, he's lying. I wouldn't have come and bothered if I didn't care or want to see you."

Dhaos looked calmer at hearing this and sighed, before asking, "Why did you bother coming all this way to help me?"

Cless said, "Because... I owe it to you. It'd take awhile to explain, but uh, shouldn't we go in now? It's getting late and you look a bit cold..."

"... Yes, no thanks to you I was waiting outside in my robes for hours."

"H-hey! I said I didn't do it on purpose!"

The knight watched as Dhaos just passed him a knowing smirk of sorts before brushing past him and it occurred to him that he was probably being poked fun at. He follows behind Dhaos soon enough, and they make it pretty far in the quiet castle least until he spots the man in front of him collapse to the ground.

...

 _Beyond the one world, there are others like the one, however never truly the same._

 _In another time, there was a captain that had lingered after the other knights had dispersed, leaving just himself and a royal blond-haired man. He asked the blond with a voice full of condescension, "Do you plan to wed him and hope from him to receive an heir, my lord?"_

 _For his tone, the man had unexpectedly slapped the knight captain harshly across the cheek, and ordered him to leave before he killed him._

A doctor leaves the room, just leaving it up to the only one the prince insisted to leave within- the so-called knight who had come from a world similar to the one he was in now but different from his own. This knight is on a simple mission, to correct his wrongs, and to be able to fulfill the debt his actions caused. He cannot shake the guilt that's rooted these feelings in his heart, and it is hard to make room for anything else.

But still, he is able to live his life as best as he can, doing what he has always wanted to do: protect the innocent and be the 'right' from the wrong. This man, the knight knew, had saved him in that previous iteration and regardless of what was said about him, he had struck him down before even hearing his side. That was enough for Cless to easily indebt his life to him- the one who was now unconscious.

In the dark-haired blond's right hand was a pocket watch that had stopped ticking it's time when the King Dhaos had been killed, and yet it worked for a second for both hands to hit midnight when it seemed to allow Cless to do the unthinkable.

A rose petal falls.

Cless' eyes turn to look at the rose held in a clear container on Dhaos' wardrobe. It was red and bright, yet two petals had fallen. He supposed it was natural, roses, such beautiful things that were delicate but could be surprisingly dangerous, still did not live long. At the thought, he hears the prince give a harsh cough, and it catches his attention.

The knight comes closer over to Dhaos' bed side, and he is still unconscious but coughs in his sleep. He couldn't help it might've been his fault, making the male wait for so long... if only Reisen hadn't been so stubborn about it. He felt almost irreconcilable about that, because it literally got him to scream and shout at the green-haired man.

Telling him that he was a 'liar'... in front of everyone. The yelling on his part had surprised everyone more like, including the Captain but he would not take it. It made him punished by being forced to pick up everyone's things and put them away himself.

He didn't like that man.

Cless sighed to himself and was about to draw away, only to feel a hand wrap tightly around his wrist. The sudden action was enough to make him gasp and turn his head, looking into glassy red-eyes that stared back. He felt himself pulled forward, and fell in that direction not to mention awkwardly as well. His hands carefully fell on each opposite side of the other blond's head, who smirked slightly.

The position made the knight scramble quickly off of the bed, realizing the type of position he had been in and flushed red as a tomato. He heard the royal ask in a vaguely teasing tone, "Is there something amiss, hm?"

The blond haired knight huffed and said, "Yeah. You're fooling around when you should barely be moving since you're ill with a fever or whatever it is."

Dhaos said simply, amusement still present, as his head has turned to look at him as lie still, "I will be well soon enough, this is a common occurrence, or at least it is for me. Do not worry your head over it too much, although... I am a bit flattered that you are doing just that."

A rose petal falls.

Cless huffs and turns around.

"Cless."

The knight hears him say his name and that's what gets him to turn back, to see Dhaos out the window, his words flowing together in a tired undercurrent as he said, "You have been good company. Someone I could truly call a companion, though I do not truly understand what has made you believe you are indebted to me. Neither do I know where you have come from."

Usually a short 'thank you' is all that is needed and the knight would have left the room, but he didn't want to. Instead he takes a chair, deciding to sit by Dhaos' side to share few more private words that make each other smile.

...

 _There is always a chance to start over._

For the next few weeks, the prince remained bedridden, even including up to now. As a result he had even more literature surrounding him than usual and often looked out the window when the knight himself wasn't present. Although he smiled to himself at the times when Cless had fallen asleep in his chair, thinking to himself that for someone who didn't know him well he was dedicated, without a single regret or without holding back it seemed. A man or woman with such valor was hard to find in these days... a true 'knight' as it were- his father seemed to be happy that Dhaos found someone he could call a comrade and trust.

His other family members were obnoxious as always.

Dhaos' thoughts wandered back to Cless as he happened to gaze upon his slouched, sleeping form, and he thought...that maybe he may have known this man at some time. Where had they met before? When they were younger? Surely it must've been, hence the strange feeling he's known him, but not too well it seemed... but his heart is saying he's known him possibly more than that.

It's impossible.

Before the prince could dwell even more in his thoughts, he watched as Cless stirred. The blond haired knight stretched and got to his feet. He went off to presumably take a wash or at least make sure he wasn't wearing the same clothing for too long.

When Cless returned, he saw Dhaos reading a new book, and inquired, "What's that book about?"

Dhaos answered simply, "Magic. My whole family can utilize it but myself, so in my free time I attempt to discern why that is. No one can explain it to me thus far, and it makes me wonder if there is a type of magic I can use."

Cless then put his hands behind his head and said thoughtlessly, "Maybe you just can't."

He received a glare in response and he put his hands up. "I was just saying..."

Dhaos then sighed, putting down his book on his lap, and asked, "When was it we last met? It was when I was much younger, correct? I feel as if I know you, or that I should."

He watched the knight who said, "I don't think I can say exactly when, but you weren't the same age you were now. But you really helped me out, even if you don't remember it. It's because of you I'm standing here today."

A shocked silence befell Dhaos, on one part because he could not remember even doing something like that. But he figured it must have been so.

Two rose petal fall.

...

The King died in his sleep soon enough, and there was a whole funeral procession about it. With this, now the Queen and King are deceased, meaning that there will be a whole crowning ceremony soon enough for the only son. Fitting as it be, since in a week Dhaos would become 18 himself, making it just a year apart from Cless' age instead of just two.

However, even if it was such an important event, Dhaos himself seemed to have been ill enough that he wasn't able to attend it. He wasn't even aware it was occurring, because he had fallen into a coma himself. Following that, a doctor came to diagnose his illness and there was only one way to rescue him. To obtain the rarest flower in the world...

A blue rose.

All the king's men for the new king rushed and made a hurried about to search for it at whatever cause as everyone in the kingdom felt troubled by the reaching of this latest news. Cless figured he also should help and at the thought, he feels himself pulled aside. The Captain of the Royal Guard says he cannot leave but he has heard of a tale of a blue rose growing in the mountains way younger the castle town.

The eternal mountains, which contained the everlasting rose. Almost unattainable, and at that Cless took that as all he needed to hear as he went along his way. He did not see the smirk on the green-haired man's face. Reisen was convinced that he sent the other blond on a journey to nowhere would he would succumb to the mountain's perils and die, after all... since there was a dragon sleeping deep within.

With both that knight gone and the prince... who would've been the would-be king, everything would go smoothly.

...

 _If there is no road, make one yourself._

The knight made a long traverse through a forest, in which he found that there was a bard who sung of a fork in the road and to take the right. He supposed that it'd be useful to take such instructions and did so, finding to his pleasant surprise that it took him out of the forest, to straight to the base of the mountains. Even though a few days had transpired, he was at least half-way there. He tried to think of things in positives.

Then he began to hike the mountain which had a road going up but at this time of year there was a blizzard that struck, and even so, he sojourned forth without a moment to waste. He managed to somehow on merit alone, climb the half of it, until he saw a cave and entered within, before plopping himself down for a rest. To the knight's relief he found it to be warm enough to rest within.

When he awoke, he found that it was still snowing and decided to inspect the cave to see if it were possible if a flower was growing within. Anything could be possible, in his mind, and the blond-haired knight moved on, before stopping to see that there was a bunch of gold here or there. It amazed him at the mere amount, and to the casual onlooker they would be tempted. But, he was looking for only one thing and it didn't seem to be here.

Cless pivoted on his foot when he heard something, but saw that there was nothing, and began to make his way out of the cave. Then, he begun to climb the rest of the mountain to search for the flower, and through braving harsh winds he wondered if it was possible that he had been deceived. But, he had to be sure, and he didn't want it to be true should he have turned his back on the journey.

He thought he saw something in the distance as he managed to somehow, through sheer will, near the top. It could've been a hallucination, but he was sure that it was a flower. He had to literally start to climb to the peak with his hands, however, and that in of itself was a project. His hand shot forward and managed to grasp it. The snow was blowing fiercely around him and the wind practically nearly blinding him, but he could see it when he brought it closer. It was the blue rose he had been looking for.

So... it was true.

In the next moment, however, there were gusts that clawed right through him and easily caused him to let go and fall.

A single petal falls.

...

 _True strength comes from within._

Hours have passed and when the knight opens his eyes, he finds that he's barely able to move. His body is littered with drops of snow and he is lying somewhere around the mountain, but he's unable to tell the extent of the damage of his fall. Maybe, it is the first time he's been truly overcome with despair in a truly long while. The rose is lost, so is he, and in the end he has come to the end of his rope with the ultimate failure.

Cless manages to sit up after some good amount of effort, but other than that and his hands on the snowy ground, his head is low. He does not find it within himself to move anywhere else, because he cannot.

He begins to weep.

Then, he hears a loud noise and a large dragon descends to land right in front of him. Cless blinks blearily through tears that aren't likely helping his cold situation, and the dragon asks, "What is it you want? You trek on my mountain, and this can only be for one thing: something you desire, am I wrong?"

The knight could only rise his head to look at the dreadful creature and nod.

...

 _A world with no hope does not exist._

Dhaos' eyes open, staring up at the face of just a few important people, including Cless himself, hearing the sound of people cheer, and seeing the relieved look on his tired friend's face. He doesn't hear much from his family, of course, but his council seems pretty pleased at the very least. There is only one among them who is truly and completely displeased at this turn of events, cursing away at the fact that it seems the impossible became possible. However, there was nothing that could be done except wait for the future king to regain strength and allow the crowning ceremony to continue.

So it did, although it was taking awhile for the soon-to-be king to regain his strength, and the man had a habit of falling asleep in random places. Perhaps it was why he hadn't noticed Cless had slipped the blue rose into his hair for a nice decoration and of course to make sure he was no longer ill. The blond-haired ruler managed to try out a spell of sorts, that made the red rose on his wardrobe bloom, smiling to himself when it worked.

Eventually, Dhaos noticed after a few hours on the next day and his face burned with embarrassment, as his knight mentioned that it went nicely with his hair.

Then, his king had informed Cless to close his eyes.

Soon enough, when he did, he felt arms wrapping tightly around him.

...

 _Time heals all wounds, even if the scars remain._

Two years pass along, and during that time, Cless finds himself always by the King's side, much to the disgruntled thoughts of those who wanted the same position for more ... unsavory reasons. These days, Dhaos keeps him as close by as possible, since the reformation he is having swept out through the country made some powerful enemies in his own land. However, he is still the King and obviously the only way they could try to get at him was passing these false rumors or outright rebelling, the latter of which they did not want to do yet.

The rumor of the atrocity of the rule of 'The Demon King'.

Today the day passed, and once again the King's obvious disinterest in any who attempted to court him, regardless of their gender at the ball. When a female was danced with and her asking to attend him somewhere privately only to be declined, a man who approached was similarly let down. The nobles were huffy and annoyed, although watching this happening made Cless smile slightly, for his own private reason.

His expression apparently did not go unnoticed.

The Captain of the Knights, Reisen, approached him and smirked, asking, "Is there some secret you know that the rest of the court doesn't, O big King's Knight?"

Cless shrugged, and tried to smile sheepishly instead. Pretending to be ignorant wouldn't be too remiss, right? He wasn't seen as too intelligent before, so maybe here would be the same, or so he thought. He only found that the green haired man did not take the bait and said, "You're fooling no one. It's because of you he won't have a heir and is not interested in taking a partner."

The blond-haired knight rolled his eyes. "Uh...you sound like an idiot who's been stalking us instead of doing his knightly ... stuff. And you're lucky I didn't mention to everyone you sent me to a place where a dragon was... which I doubt you didn't know, but whatever.

I don't mean to sound rude, but why don't you go bother someone else?"

Reisen's eyes narrowed and he said, "Nevermind that. I won't be made a fool of any longer and regardless of whether it's public or private, I have you where I want you."

Dhaos turned his head, seeming to recognize there was something amiss, and Cless expected something to go down with more than two people involved, except everyone stopped moving but the knight captain and the knight. This suddenly caused a feeling of awkwardness to wash over the blond and he looked at his pocket watch, wondering if he flubbed up somewhere. Reisen silently held up his own, a rose-gold color as he looked down at Cless. "Luckily, I received this from the watch maker. Now I could kill you here and no one would notice it was me if I placed myself far away from you and someone else closer."

Cless tried to move, and found that he couldn't move. Was it another time spell? That totally wasn't fair, not at all. Dastard didn't want to fight fair and square because he knew he'd beat him. "You...you cowardly bastard!"

Reisen unsheathed his sword, and began to swing.

Blood splattered all over him. The knight blinked and looked up to see Dhaos had easily cut through the green haired man with just his hand. Then time began to resume normally before the theatrical screams at the scenery people saw. Cless whispered, picking up the dead man's pocket watch and stashing it, 'How did you do that?'

Dhaos whispered back, 'I just moved and it was so.'

Cless then asked, 'Couldn't you have done something else less...well-?'

The king shook his head and told him casting a spell would've meant he could've been too late.

This would take awhile to explain to the rabble.

A few hours (more like six) pass and now the both of them are within the king's chambers. Their former wear was being cleaned after they had the chance to wash themselves up. So now both were in robes.

The knight sighed to himself, and looked over at his king and said, "Dhaos, there's something I need to tell you."

The King nodded quietly, and they both went elsewhere. Not to the gardens, but rather on the top of the castle itself, and there, Cless drew from his wear a pocket watch. Before he could say anything, Dhaos had reached forward to grasp Cless' hand that held it, and pulled him close.

A flash of memories came over the King. The retrieval of the mystery pocket watch given to him in another time by a woman with green hair, and the subsequent repeat travelling back in time to try to make a 'perfect' history. One time to stop the country from burning due to a raging accursed flame, another from being overcome by war, the third to prevent Cless' death, before the fourth was not by Dhaos himself.

A misunderstanding had occurred back then, from what he understood. A tragic one, and then a realization, as he looks into anxious brown eyes. Dhaos then says levelly, "And so you have told me."

A look of cluelessness flitters across the knight's face and Dhaos leans purposely closer, making the latter feeling some enjoyment out of getting Cless flustered. "But to us now, all of that is a dream, and where we are now is reality. If you try to leave because of that dream, I would miss you."

Cless was about to say something, but Dhaos had just kissed him softly. Then, it soon became no time for words as they were content for now to share this moment, and hold each other while the sun set... their future: A happily ever after.


End file.
